What's the Ideal Dose of Amla Per Day?

Amla fruit, also known as Indian Gooseberry, amalaki, Phyllanthus Emblica or Emblica Officinalis, is a berry native to India and Southeast Asia.

Renowned for its medicinal properties which trace back to thousands of years of use in Ayurvedic medicine, through extensive study researchers are beginning to confirm that amla may actually live up to its reputation as one of the world’s most powerful superfoods. 

So how much amla or amla powder should you take? Well, tracing from ancient sanskrit prescriptions to modern medicine, the amount has varied for different ailments vs daily use, so our recommendation is this:

A good starting ‘dose’ of amla powder is between 1 tsp and 1tbsp, taken once a day either with food or drink. However, as long as you don’t have a bleeding disorder, or very low blood glucose or blood pressure, you can add amla to pretty much every meal of the day with no side effects.

In this article, we’ll touch on some of the benefits of amla and why you might want to add this powerful plant to your diet. Then, we’ll touch on some good starting points for how to determine your amla for the day, as well as a few cases to be cautious about taking amla.

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To researchers studying amla, the fruit has an almost unbelievable number of health benefits. It can even improve thyroid health.

Here are just a few.

Amla is the Most Powerful Antioxidant

Pound for pound, amla is the most powerful antioxidant on the planet, with an ORAC (antioxidant) rating of 261,500. For comparison, that’s twice that of turmeric, 50X that of blueberries, and more than 100X most fruits. 

When it comes to scavenging free radicals, reducing oxidative stress, and improving your immune system, there’s nothing better than amla.

Rich Source of Vitamin C

Amla has the second highest density of vitamin C of any plant, only surpassed by the Barbados cherry. 

Combined with its density of tannins and other key nutrients, its anti-inflammatory properties, and its antioxidant value (mentioned above), amla is a powerful bastion against disease.

Lowers Cholesterol

Now we enter some of the truly impressive biochemical effects of amla. Amla has been shown to significantly improve your lipid profile by lowering high cholesterol (specifically bad cholesterol like LDL and triglycerides), and reduce your risk for heart disease.

Reduces Blood Glucose (Blood Sugar)

Amla also has a powerful effect when it comes to lowering blood glucose levels (blood sugar levels), which is comparable to some popular diabetes medications, without the negative side effects. (Remember to use a glucose control solution any time you get a drastically different or very unexpected result.)

The mechanism of action for amla is still being studied, but most results show that it works throughout your body, providing key digestive nutrients like chromium and improving your gut’s ability to process nutrients. If you're living with diabetes and looking for recipes, head to this article for three meals that you can make for yourself or bring to a party.

Lowers High Blood Pressure

Continuing on, amla also helps lower high blood pressure, with results that again compare to the leading medications without negative side effects. 

This is another area where amla shows promise as a powerful plant-based medicine.

Weight Loss

There are quite a few natural supplements that advertise themselves as weight-loss solutions, but strong evidence suggests that amla actually works. In addition to reducing risk factors associated with being overweight, research shows that amla was able to stimulate weight-loss across the board.

Promotes Healthy Hair Growth

Hair growth is another category in which many products claim to be silver-bullet solutions. That said, evidence shows amla may actually promote increased hair density, diameter, and fullness.

Combined with amla and amla oil’s effects from high antioxidants and vitamin C, which help prevent flaking, hair loss, greying and damaged hair follicles, the research actually supports amla as an effective hair tonic.

Has Anti-Aging Properties

One of the most powerful internal causes of premature aging is oxidative stress, either from a high stress lifestyle, drugs and alcohol, disease, obesity, or various other factors. 

Amla’s powerful antioxidant value and other health benefits are a significant shield against these factors, which can help reduce the signs of premature aging and help maintain your health in the long term.

Helps Relieve Gastrointestinal Distress

Amla works throughout your gut and digestive system to help lower blood pressure and blood glucose, but these benefits can also help relieve gastrointestinal distress as well. 

Combined with amla’s high density of fiber, this powerful plant can also be a potential treatment for constipation and indigestion as well.

There are currently no clinical side effects of amla and amla powder, apart from a chance for slight stomach acidity if you eat a lot of amla on an empty stomach. 

However, there are three cases in which you should be careful around adding amla to your diet: 

1. If you suffer from low blood glucose frequently
2. If you have low blood pressure
3. If you suffer from bleeding disorders

Amla can lower blood glucose and reduce blood pressure, which is beneficial for some, but can worsen these conditions if you already have them. Fortunately, the easiest way to counteract these symptoms is simply to stop taking amla. 

Amla’s blood-pressure-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects have also been shown to potentially worsen bleeding disorders. If at some point you start to notice a wound that won't’ clot or effectively heal, reach out to your healthcare professional right away.

We recommend a “starter dose” of amla powder as between 1 tsp and 1 tbsp taken daily, but as shown by the prominence of many forms of dietary amla (amla juice, fresh amla, amla murabba, amla candy, triphala), most people can manage a lot more without any adverse side effects. 

Research around amla, as well as most records of folk medicine from the Ayurveda, have primarily surrounded the benefits of taking small doses daily, or until symptoms subside. 

So the evidence is still out on whether eating a lot of amla brings a commensurate increase in health benefits. 

Most of us at Amla Green integrate this fruit into teas, foods, drinks as often as we can, even stored in a pill capsule or taken with warm water, making use of the added Green Tea or Hibiscus flavors to counter amla’s naturally astringent taste.

So in summary, there’s no one standard dose for amla. If you’d like to try, we recommend starting small to see if you notice any adverse side effects. If not, feel free to add amla wholeheartedly to your diet!